The 25 Most Influential Social Media Influencers and Creators of 2026

Handle: @chanandjamal
Platform: Comedy
Followers: 8 million

Chantelle and Jamal Morant’s first sketch to go viral was the “hoodie video,” which featured Chantelle, 36, stealing her husband Jamal’s sweatshirts, then lightly twerking her way off-screen. “It’s definitely based on true events,” says Jamal, 38, laughing. The same can be said for most of their content, which has expanded from relationships to parenting since having their daughter, Soleil. The couple have found particular success on Facebook, where they have almost 5 million followers, which they believe has to do with the demographic who frequent it — “a lot of millennials are on there,” Jamal explains — and also because of the way that community comes together around their content. Their newest venture is a mockumentary series, which Chantelle describes as, “like Modern Family, but with us.” E.G.P.

Handle: @oldfashionedhussle
Platform: Comedy
Followers: 2 million

When most people have a bad day, they hope tomorrow is better. But New Jersey bartender Leigh Soriano tells her followers exactly how her day went wrong, from killing time at work to beefing with her friend’s man. This storytelling lens earned her a meteoric rise over the past year — from just over 230,000 followers to almost a million on Instagram alone in the past six months — and she’s still trying to wrap her head round it. “I don’t know what’s going on, and I’m not gonna pretend I do,” says Soriano, 29. “Influencing is being open and allowing people to see a little bit of themselves in you.” C.T.J.

Handle: @winnie_thepooj
Platform: Comedy
Followers: 1 million

There’s high production value, and then there’s Brooklyn Coffee Shop. Pooja Tripathi, 33, started the show as a sketch of an unaffected Brooklyn barista with appalling customer service, where she also played the customer. Now, it’s a Webby Award-winning digital series — complete with a full film crew, directors, and guest stars like Padma Lakshmi, Kumail Nanjiani, and Becky G. And it’s not just for New Yorkers. “We have a big audience anywhere there’s a Brooklyn to be had,” she says. C.T.J.

Handle: @atiyacwalcott
Platform: Fashion
Followers: 500,000

Her videos begin with a declaration: “My name is Atiya Walcott, and I’m incredibly fashionable.” Walcott, 32, has become synonymous with a high-budget, music-video approach to fashion content — making her videos fodder for constant imitation. She says her breakout moment happened after she started using her platform to infuse joy into online fashion culture. “I’m tired of trying to look as thin as possible,” says Walcott. “I want to shake my ass.” C.T.J.

Handle: @cyrusveyssihandle
Genre: Beauty
Followers: 3 million

Child of immigrants. Nonbinary. Queer. When a commenter on one of Cyrus Veyssi’s videos made a cheap joke assuming those qualities meant they were estranged from their parents, Veyssi’s video sharing a cocktail with their father hit 6 million views overnight. Now, Veyssi, 32, is a self-appointed “funny, bougie, gay uncle who loves to talk about skin care, beauty, and fashion” — and loves to start real conversations. “I can crack a joke and you’ll laugh, and now I have your attention,” they say. C.T.J.

Handle: @reitergrace
Platform: Sketch comedy
Followers: 5 million

This sketch comedian’s humor vacillates between gross, absurd, and “completely real.” Reiter, 25, is one of the breakout stars of sketch-comedy troupe American High Shorts, but she captured true internet devotion after making a 40-minute, low-budget Hunger Games parody, The Hunger Games (but better). Reiter says her comedy’s strength often comes from its earnest and relatable origins. “A lot of times I’m making things to be like, ‘We all think this, right?’ ” Reiter says. C.T.J.

Handle: @anania00
Platform: Commentary
Followers: 4 million

What is influence if it’s not the ability to use a mononym? Anania, 26, is a comedian, Broadway performer, and host of the short-form talk show Gaydar. Since she started posting videos six years ago, she’s become known for her extemporaneous nighttime advice and stylized drag performances. “I used to be really anxious about [being siloed], but the best thing for me right now is putting good things out there and letting people catch up,” she says. “I know that I’m that bitch now.” C.T.J.

Handle: @_jen_hamilton
Platform: Lifestyle
Followers: 9.5 million

Labor and delivery nurse Jen Hamilton’s evangelical upbringing inspired her first viral post in the early months of Trump 2.0. “I made a video where I read from Matthew 25, where Jesus says how we should care for people,” says Hamilton, 35. “And then just flashed the celebrations people are having about SNAP being defunded and deporting immigrants.” Though she started on TikTok, she’s expanded her footprint to other platforms, like Facebook — where she now has more than 2 million followers — and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to donate, while posting cutting videos about parenthood, divorce, and life in the hospital. E.G.P.

Handle: @tinekeyounge
Genre: Cooking
Followers: 17 million

When Tini Younger posted her first videos in 2020, she mostly wanted people to see the techniques she picked up at culinary school. Now, Younger, 24, is one of the premier chefs on TikTok, with a footprint so distinct people can go viral for messing up her signature mac and cheese. Throughout it all, Younger’s biggest goal has remained keeping her recipes budget-friendly, remembering her own experience with food insecurity. “I know what it’s like to not know when your next meal is,” she says. C.T.J.

Handle: @guywithamoviecamera
Genre: Film
Followers: 3.6 million

For Reece Feldman, 28, becoming Hollywood’s secret weapon involved taking out a lot of trash. The creator and interviewer got his start as a production assistant on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, using downtime to make behind-the-scenes vlogs. Now, Feldman captures this kind of social content for major studios, bridging the gap between esteemed filmmakers and online audiences. “[My content’s] trying to make entertainment a bit more relatable,” he says. “A bit less gatekept.” C.T.J.

Handle: @davejorgenson
Genre: News
Followers: 1 million

When Dave Jorgenson first launched the Washington Post TikTok account in 2019, the brand had such a small digital presence he had to inform some viewers of the newspaper’s existence. But his content transformed how national outlets approached social media. Now, running an independent account, Local News International, Jorgenson, 35, is changing how creators think about journalistic ethics. “Influence is responsibility,” he says. C.T.J.

Handle: @drewafualo
Genre: Pop culture
Followers: 13 million

It takes a lot to shed an online persona. And while Drew Afualo’s fame started with her willingness to dress down misogynistic men, the podcast host and New York Times bestselling author, 30, is moving past perceptions of being an “attack dog” toward what she considers more-important endeavors for her audience. “Focusing on self-love, confidence, empowerment, decentering men, unpacking your internalized biases, that sits at the forefront now,” Afualo says. C.T.J.

Handle: @hellotefi
Genre: Pop culture
Followers: 3 million

Tefi Pessoa, 36, broke out making pop-culture explainers on TikTok — deep dives into the royal family or celebrity feuds — but quickly became an expert for real-life advice. While this earned her the title of the internet’s “big sister,” the creator, columnist, and host of Peacock’s Love Island recap series, Aftersun, wants to make it clear that being good at giving advice doesn’t make her impervious to mistakes. “Sometimes [my audience is] ravenous and insatiable,” she says. “But they’re my babies.” C.T.J.

Handle: @brittany_broski
Genre: Comedy
Followers: 15 million

While Brittany Broski’s internet career started with a 2019 meme involving kombucha — she didn’t like it, then she did! — the self-proclaimed “child of the internet” has hosted stars like Harry Styles, Matt Damon, and Charli XCX on her fantasy-themed YouTube interview series, Royal Court, which she launched last fall. Broski, 29, credits this success to her fangirl “worldview,” which allows her to know what her audience wants to see. “I can’t like anything a normal amount,” she says. C.T.J.

Handle: @subwaytakes
Genre: Talk show
Followers: 7.5 million

So, what’s your take? Kareem Rahma, 40, came up with his viral series, Subway Takes, as an answer to a digital ecosystem dominated by clips. “I thought, ‘What if we just made the clips the show?’ ” he says. Now, with three years under his belt and a podcast as well as his new long-form YouTube series, Keep the Meter Running, going strong, Rahma is one of the world’s biggest digital hosts, defined by his ability to keep things interesting. “I’m really the person I’m trying to entertain,” he says. C.T.J.

Handle: @octopusslover8
Genre: Comedy
Followers: 6 million

If it feels like Jake Shane is everywhere, it’s because he is. The comic, 26, had his first foray into internet fame when he started making off-the-cuff videos based on historical events. Now, he’s a red-carpet staple, and his podcast, Therapuss, is a celebrity must. While he’s gotten flak for awkward red-carpet moments, Shane sees it as an opportunity for growth. “Not everyone is going to like what you do, and sometimes they’re right,” he says. “This is [my] new challenge; be funny and more thoughtful.” C.T.J.

Handle: @alixearle
Genre: Lifestyle
Followers: 15 million

Alix Earle, 25, rose to fame as TikTok’s favorite get-ready-with-me girlie, where she got real about her struggles with acne and the makeup she used to cover it up — all while “oversharing” about her life. Now, her skin-care line, Reale Actives, is taking off, and she’s turning her life over to reality-TV producers in a new Netflix series, Earle Meets World, which offered a new challenge. “I’m usually the one with full creative control,” she says. “It’s scary to let go of that and put your trust in other people.” E.G.P.

Handle: @quenblackwell
Genre: Lifestyle
Followers: 23 million

Becoming an It girl is not an easy task. Lucky for Quenlin Blackwell, 25, she’s been working toward the gig since she was 12. Blackwell got her first taste of fame on Vine, where she defined an “improvisational and referential” style of physical humor in six-second clips. Now, she’s known for being both runway ready and seconds away from bursting into a bit — or a split. “I’m a model. I’m an entertainer. I’m a performer,” says Blackwell. “But if you distill that down, baby, we clowns.” C.T.J.

Handle: @Markiplier
Genre: Gaming
Followers: 77 million

Mark Fischbach, 37, started making video-game playthroughs for YouTube back in 2012 for a simple reason: “It seemed like something where I wouldn’t have to think too hard.” Within a few years, he’d worked his way into writing and starring in scripted content, and just self-financed a movie, Iron Lung, which grossed more than $50 million. But he still sees YouTube as his primary platform — which makes sense, since he’s got almost 40 million subscribers there. “I’ve already made a dozen dream videos,” he says. “My selfish thing is that I expect to make more.” E.G.P.

Handle: @DharMann
Genre: Scripted skits
Followers: 171 million

Dhar Mann, 42, has come a long way since filming scripted sketches tackling relationship conundrums in his 600-square-foot loft in downtown Los Angeles. These days, he operates out of a sprawling compound in Burbank, working with hundreds of editors, designers, and writers as well as thousands of actors for his bite-size moral plays, now largely based around school life and playground bullying. “I would love to say that I had this game plan,” he says. “It all happened by accident.” E.G.P.

Handle: @msrachel
Genre: Education
Followers: 39 million

Rachel Accurso, 43, better known as Ms Rachel, is one of the most celebrated children’s entertainers in the world. Her YouTube series, Songs for Littles, uses her early-childhood-education degree and husband’s musical-theater background to soundtrack a generation’s biggest milestones, using earworm songs to teach kids everything from first words to the power of friendship. While the show took off as a mainstay for desperate parents during the pandemic, Accurso is now known as an advocate for childhood human rights, often taking loud and public stances against disenfranchised children from Gaza and Sudan to U.S. immigration detention centers. Because of this, Accurso remains a constant target for political criticism, harassment, and death threats, even as Songs for Littles has grown into one of the biggest titles on Netflix and gained her more than 21 million subscribers on YouTube. But she believesstaying quiet isn’t an option. “People on the ground in Gaza are risking their lives all the time to help kids,” she says. “I can do it from Manhattan.” C.T.J.

Handle: @KaiCenat
Genre: Streamer
Followers: 90 million

Those who can’t do, teach — but those who do exceptionally well sometimes launch their own damn school. Kai Cenat, 24, has done just that. Streamer University, now in its second year, recently took over Hendrix College in Arkansas to give 120 lucky participants a weeklong boot camp on the art of content creation, with professors like Ludwig, Lizzo, and Duke Dennis offering advice on how to break big online. “I love using my platform to help others,” Cenat says, “and figured it would be a unique idea.” Cenat rose to fame doing marathon streams on Twitch — a few lasting an entire month, where he ate, played video games, hung out with his friends, and slept, all on camera — but these days, most of his content is centered around teaching other people to find success through Streamer U, which he hopes to take international. “Influence, to me, means inspiration,” he says. “If we use the influence we have for what’s right, it will then inspire people to take things to a whole other level.” E.G.P.

Handle: @hasanabi
Genre: Political streamer
Followers: 11 million

“There’s always been friction,” Hasan Piker says. “I just never thought it would get to this degree.” The self-declared Marxist, 35, has found himself at the center of endless controversies, thanks to his inflammatory criticism of Israel on his daily streams — eagerly clipped by both Fox News and MS NOW — but also, he says, because he has become the chiseled face of a movement to push the Democratic Party to the left. “If you were to ask me, ‘What was the turning point?’ It was certainly Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign,” he says. There, he saw centrists “burn their credibility” by backing Andrew Cuomo. “They started recognizing that there was a real threat [in] these insurgent movements,” he says. “And they weren’t wrong.” Piker streams upward of seven hours a day, reacting to news, interviewing guests, and interacting with his chat. Though he’s stumped for AOC and Bernie Sanders, he’s recently started campaigning for lesser-known candidates, including Abdul El-Sayed and Melat Kiros. E.G.P.

Handle: @IShowSpeed
Genre: IRL streamer
Followers: 195 million

When Darren Jason Watkins Jr. took the stage at the 2026 World Cup closing ceremonies, it seemed like a pinnacle of his meteoric career: soccer, hip-hop, and being loud and unapologetically himself, all in one place. Watkins, better known as IShowSpeed, was invited to perform his viral song, “World Cup (Champions),” in front of 1.2 billion global viewers — a daunting task for anyone, even one of the most popular creators on Earth. “Football has taken me all over the world and connected me with people everywhere,” he says. “To be part of the biggest stage in the sport felt surreal.” Watkins got his start as a teen going live playing Fortnite and NBA2K, but it was his crash-outs that brought people coming back, and by 2021, he was a mainstay. When he took his IRL stream on the road — hanging out with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo in Greece, getting lit on fire on a boat in Finland — crowds gathered wherever he was, hoping to get a glimpse. Now 21, the question is where he goes from here. E.G.P.

Handle: @druski
Genre: Comedy
Followers: 41 million

Druski, 31, has always known he had a gift. Born Drew Desbordes, he’s turned his childhood desire to be the funniest person in the room into becoming a digital-comedy juggernaut. “To be influential, you gotta be iconic,” he tells Rolling Stone. “You have to believe in yourself first before anybody else believes in you.” In his breakout series, Druski cast himself as a demanding and ruthless CEO of the fictional label Coulda Been Records. Now, his sketches — which satirize everything from TSA agents and greedy megachurch pastors to a conservative pundit who just so happens to look a lot like Erika Kirk — dominate the news cycle for weeks after they drop. In 2026, he became the youngest-ever host of the BET Awards, and is already working on turning his classic franchises into full Hollywood productions. Druski’s quest for greatness has followed him throughout his career, so to finally reach number one feels “damn good,” he says, laughing. “Pretty damn good.” C.T.J.